


Time And Time Again

by revior



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU, Angst, Character Death, Don't Like Don't Read, Fix-It, Fluff, High School, Humor, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Not Beta Read, Past Relationships, Sad, Tags Contain Spoilers, read the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior/pseuds/revior
Summary: When Sykkuno wakes up the day after graduation, he expects his life to change completely. But when he realizes that he somehow time-traveled back to the beginning of the year, he begins to question everything and everyone.It doesn't help at all that it was probably the worst year in his life and he would give anything in the world to not relieve it. However, after realizing that not everything is the same as the time before, a thought flashes through Sykkuno's head.What if having the option to relive and maybe even change the past isn't just a bad thing?
Relationships: Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 70
Kudos: 267
Collections: Time Travel and World Travel, read fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my newest project (9k words in total and I wrote this all in one sitting so rip my ass)
> 
> anyways this is already finished, so you don't have to worry about the completion, I'll just update one chapter daily (or maybe more/less depending on the time I can spend on editing it)
> 
> ALSO
> 
> to avoid confusion, James and Billie are OC's (first names that came to my mind when i was writing)

"Sykkuno, get the hell up!" shouted Sykkuno's mom from the kitchen. "You're going to be late!"

Sykkuno slowly woke up and went downstairs, his hair a mess. "What do you want, mom?"

"You're not dressed yet? Run and go get some clothes, for God's sake," said his mom, her voice worried.

"What do I have today?" he asked, confusion to be heard in his voice and seen on his face.

"You have school. How could you forget?"

"But I just..." started Sykkuno but didn't get to finish his sentence. His mom had other plans in mind.

"Run upstairs and get some clothes. I'll get you some food so you can eat it in the car."

Sykkuno obeyed his mother and went upstairs, still not understanding what was going on. Did he just forget that he lived throughout the summer break and now he was off to college? Or was it his mom playing some prank.

He grabbed a few pieces of clothing, not being able to find most of his favorites, and got dressed fairly quickly. Sykkuno then went back upstairs to his mom waiting at the front door with his breakfast and his things. "You almost forgot this."

Sykkuno nodded and followed his mother to the car through the open door.

They sat in the car, an awkward silence reigning. When it was time for Sykkuno's mom to turn right, she turned left. "Mom, you turned the wrong way!"

"No, your school is this way. How could you forget? You've been at that school for a few years already."

"But the college's the other way, mom. I'm not stupid," spat Sykkuno, but his mom still didn't stop. "Mom, why aren't you turning around? You're going the wrong way. I'm gonna be really late because of you."

"I think you're forgetting that college is next year. You still have a year until then, Sykkuno. Make sure to spend this year wisely."

 _What sick prank is she playing on me?_ Sykkuno said to himself internally. _She knows how much I hated last year. Every single moment of it. Except for a few..._

"But I graduated yesterday, mom. You were there, taking pictures."

"Oh honey, you seem to be dreaming quite a lot. Maybe with your father gone and everything else..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sykkuno, almost accusingly. His father was gone a while and he got over his death completely.

"It's obvious that you've been struggling with a few things ever since your father died. And now that you're imagining things."

"I've seen a therapist about that, mom. Plus, I'm not imagining things. You're just trying to play with my mind by doing something. I don't know what exactly, but it's something."

"Whatever you say. Have fun at school, kid."

He quickly got out of the car, not being able to be in that suffocating space any longer. With the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his best friend, Billie Molina. Her hair was long, not how he saw it the day before. Billie decided to shave her head right before graduation, but her hair was now long and resembled exactly what it did before she started experimenting with it.

"Sykkuno, oh how much I missed you."

He wanted to point out that they saw each other the day before, but he decided not to. Something strange was happening and it was best to just let it happen.

Because maybe, just maybe, he was imagining things.

* * *

"Are you ready to live the best year of your life, Sykkuno?" asked Billie, a huge smile on her face. Of course, there was a smile on her face. She never ever felt any other emotions, which was something that weirded Sykkuno out but was grateful for. At least one of them could always raise the other's mood.

Sykkuno just nodded. There wasn't much he could say, as he was just waiting for the moment Billie would take her wig off and everyone would start shouting 'It's a prank!'. But that wasn't even close to happening.

"What are your plans for this year?" she asked, twirling her hair around her finger. "I am just hoping not to fall in love. If I can do that for a year, my life goal is complete."

"That's a whole mood," he said, letting my inner personality jump out. "I need to figure some things out, and then everything will be fine. My life is confusing me quite a bit right now, but let's see how it goes."

"Nice goal. What's up with your life? Are you and James going through a rough patch?" she asked, and he thought she was joking. How could she say that? She knew very well that he hated James with every bit of him. Because that weird bastard cheated on him.

"What? Do you not remember?"

"Remember what?" she asked, dumbfounded. Billie was never a great actress and a liar for that matter, but at that moment he thought that the only person he trusted throughout high school was trying to make fun of him and his situation.

"You really don't remember anything? About James and I?" he asked. And when she shook her head while looking him right in the eyes, Sykkuno understood that she really wasn't pranking him or playing tricks.

Sykkuno nervously looked around and when he saw James walking towards them, his mind started spinning and he felt the urge to throw up. But when he saw who was next to him, his mind became clear again, and his blood started boiling.

Next to James, the boy who everyone just seemed to love so much without knowing the things he truly did, was Corpse. And the second Sykkuno saw Corpse, he understood that something was terribly wrong. Because Corpse died in a car crash three months previous, along with his girlfriend and one of their friends.

"Corpse? Is that you?" Asked Sykkuno, half-knowing what the answer would be and half-hoping that he would be deceived.

"Yeah, I'm Corpse. And you're Sykkuno. What is it?"

"What are you doing here? I thought you-"

"What am I doing here?" he repeated a smile on his face. "I'm not gonna miss the first day of school. It's the second-best day that every school year has. Right after graduation."

"Can someone give me the date?" Sykkuno asked nervously.

James pulled out his phone, not his shiny iPhone 11, but the iPhone 6s that he broke when the two broke up and did as Sykkuno asked.

Everything was right except for the year. He already lived in 2019. There was no way that whatever was going on was really happening.

"We haven't graduated yet?" he asked, and every single member of his friend group looked at him in a strange manner.

"No, of course not," said Corpse, a smile on his face. "I'm so excited about it, though."

And then it hit him. Sykkuno was in some sort of time loop that brought me back a year. To the worst year of his life.

And as for Corpse, he would never make it until graduation.


	2. Chapter 2

Something was terribly wrong, Sykkuno could sense it. There was no point in trying to deny that it was a prank. Hair was back to how it used to be, people rose from the dead, and memories that made were suddenly forgotten.

Everything about the whole situation was terribly wrong, now that he thought about it.

"Ready to get to class?" Asked Billie, a big smile on her face.

Sykkuno just nodded but stayed silent. They all started walking and out of nowhere, something pulled him into the corner he knew way too well. His eyes closed in surprise as he felt lips hit his.

"What the...?" started Sykkuno but didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Babe, what is it? I just thought that I'd surprise you on the way to class." When Sykkuno realized that the boy who kissed him was James, his stomach twisted and he wanted to throw up.

"What the hell are you doing, James?" he spat, but then something hit him.

If his theory was correct, Sykkuno somehow traveled back to the first day of his senior year. And James hadn't cheated on him at that point. But he still felt like he was betraying himself by kissing him. Sykkuno didn't want to kiss the boy that would end up cheating on him in less than three months.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood," he cleared up, trying to make it sound as genuine as possible.

If I really am reliving all of this, there was probably some way of keeping James from cheating, which would clear everything up.

"That's fine. I know how much this year means to you, so I get that you're nervous."

The two boys walked back to Corpse and Billie. Billie nudged him from the side and moved to Sykkuno's ear. "How was that, Sykkuno sweetheart?" She asked jokingly.

And then it hit him. In this time and day, Sykkuno still wasn't out publicly and nobody but Sykkuno's closest friends knew about it. That was why James kissed him in private, and why Billie was being secretive.

"I'm not in the mood for making out with him today, Billie. There's just too much happening, and my mind is going places. I seriously don't know how I can still live." Sykkuno admitted truthfully. Billie was the person he could trust and if things wouldn't go back to normal, he'd have to tell her what happened. And that didn't seem like a good choice, so he would wait until doing that.

"I didn't know that you'd ever turn away a smooch smooch session with James. Your past girlfriends maybe, but definitely not James Clarke. I mean, all you usually do is talk about how good his lips feel against yours, and all that."

"I don't want to talk about that," whispered Sykkuno, trying to keep back the tears from coming out. How manly would that seem on his first day of school?

Then they stopped in front of Monday's first period. Sykkuno had already memorized his schedule the year before.

_ I guess this means it really is the senior year all over again. _

When class finally ended, Sykkuno went straight home, not waiting for his mom to pick him up. She would be annoyed at him for having to come to school for nothing, but that was something he'd have to handle later.

On the way home, he pinched himself strongly. It was a stupid trick that probably wouldn't work, but he still had to try it. In the end, it didn't work.

As he walked in, the front door slammed behind him with a bang. "Mom, are you here?" he shouted, expecting no response.

Everything seemed too much. he couldn't be back at the beginning of the year which made him question his sanity on multiple occasions and made him question whether the world was real.

Even more, than he did at that precise moment.

He heard the front door open again from the comfort of his bedroom and he knew that his mom was home.

"Sykkuno, are you here?" She shouted from below.

He answered but stayed in his room. She stayed downstairs at that moment Sykkuno couldn't help but be happy that they already established personal boundaries at the beginning of their senior year.

_I need a plan_ , he said to himself. _There's no way that I can help it through this year again if I do everything the same way or even worse. I need to make this year good for me. And if I'm here, it must be for a reason. I can keep things from happening. Like keeping James from cheating on me and keeping Corpse from sitting into that car on the 14th of April._

Sykkuno pulled out the diary he kept when he was still in high school. He now knew that if he kept it in the same place, his mom would find it later in the year and he'd be outed to her.

She would be accepting of him, but that wasn't the point. It was supposed to be his choice to choose the time and place to come out. Not his mom snooping through his bedroom while he was at school because she thought he was on drugs.

Sykkuno opened the book where he last wrote before the beginning of the senior year. He made sure to go back and rip out some pages that could be incriminating if his mom ever found the book and then went back to the opened page.

"Plans for senior year 2.0," he said out loud.

He scribbled down some of the basics that he wanted to do if he had to live throughout the entire year again. He decided that he would save Corpse and his girlfriend. That was the one thing he absolutely needed to do. Because even if he'd walk off to college with a broken heart, Corpse would be alive.

Keeping James from cheating was almost as important, and that was also one of his top goals for the year.

And last off, coming out wherever and whenever he wanted to. Nothing could take that away from him this time.

Now that he thought about it, going through the senior year again wouldn't necessarily be so bad.

* * *

As weeks and months passed, the days began to blend in. Every day seemed the same to Sykkuno.

Wake up. Shower. Eat. Go to school. Come back from school. Eat. Shower. Sleep. Repeat.

But the repetition made it possible for Sykkuno to focus on more important things. He began to forgive James for something he didn't even do yet and he began trying to make Billie and Corpse get together.

Because if Corpse wouldn't date Alice - the girl that was with him as he was driving when the crash happened and the girl who also happened to be his girlfriend at the time - he wouldn't get in that car and they wouldn't get hit by the truck at the intersection of 6th and 54th.

On Tuesday, November 13, Sykkuno was late for school on the second time in his senior year, besides the first day of school.

When he went out of the house, he started running towards the school, making sure to turn left on the intersection where his mom turned the right way on the first day of school.

He heard a honk behind him and he turned around rapidly. He noticed Corpse's still undamaged car, the boy waving his hand through the window.

"Corpse?"

"Get in," said the driver with a smile on his face. "You don't want to be late for James's birthday. He's gonna think that you don't care about him anymore."

Sykkuno felt himself getting dizzy from all the memories that the car brought. He saw it right after the accident, along with...

"I'm not letting you drive me, Corpse."

Corpse and his car didn't budge. On the contrary, another honk came from the car. "Just get in. I'm not letting you be late."

"I'm not gonna be late, Corpse," countered Sykkuno, knowing that he didn't sound persuasive. He still had about two miles left, and the class started in five minutes. But the weight of the diary in his backpack made him realize that he could never sit in that car again. Because if he sat in there, everything would become way too real.

And the thing he was trying to achieve was Corpse and Alice's death not being real.

"Just get in."

"There's no way I'm getting in your car, Corpse. Now or ever. Plus if you're scared about being late, you can go ahead and drive yourself to school. Just be careful with the intersections."

"What are you, my mom?" he asked sarcastically and drove off.

Not long after starting to walk again, Sykkuno saw Corpse on foot. Corpse ran up to Sykkuno and they started walking side by side.

"Why are you here?" asked Sykkuno after a few moments of careful consideration.

"You don't want to get in my car. So I decided that I would walk with you," clarified Corpse, making it sound extremely obvious.

"But why?" insisted Sykkuno. He clearly didn't understand the other boy's intentions. 

Corpse seemingly decided to not want to answer the question and instead decided to change the subject. "Can I ask you something, Sykkuno?"

"That's already a question. But yeah, go ahead."

"What's going on with you and James. There's clearly something wrong. Did something happen at the beginning of the year? Because that's when everything changed between the two of you."

"There are just some things I'm currently going through. It's not James's fault, and it's not exactly mine either. They're just things I have to work through in order to finally be myself again," ended up clarifying Sykkuno, and he was proud of doing so.

"Alright. Just know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SDFNK friendly corpse hehe
> 
> comments and kudos are very much appreciated!!!


	3. Chapter 3

"Happy birthday Sykkuno!" exclaimed James, yet his voice wasn't full of excitement.

Their relationship stayed about the same way all the way to the end of 2018 and was now not changing even when they reached in February. Sykkuno couldn't even admit to himself how much he hated that their relationship was in such a weird state.

So many things went unsaid and there were so many secrets, yet neither of them wanted to end it. Of course, it would be pretty hard to end something that never really existed but in secret in the first place.

"Thanks, James," thanked Sykkuno genuinely and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Your gift still hasn't arrived. I want to sue the delivery service for that, but I'm sure that it'll come one day."

"That's fine."

Sykkuno then turned his complete attention to Billie and Corpse. They both had huge smiles on their faces. It wasn't as clear whether they were really happy or just happy for him as Sykkuno hoped, but he'd seen worse.

His entire senior year the first time.

People treated him like absolute shit. If they even paid attention to him, it was to give him a hard time, not to ask whether they could make him feel better.

And then a spark of hope appeared. One that wasn't sure to ignite a bonfire, but enough to hope.

Sykkuno saw something that seemed a lot like Billie and Corpse holding hands.

They all walked together to the cinema to watch a film, a tradition they kept up every time one of them celebrated another year spent in the world. Alive.

It felt weird to Sykkuno. He was celebrating his birthday a second time, yet even if most things were the same, some things weren't. The gifts Billie and Corpse gave him were the same in both timelines, yet James's gift wasn't late during his first senior year.

But it seemed like James was already giving me his gift. If only that gift would last until after that Friday the 13th in April when everything started going wrong. Mom found my diary, James cheated and Alice and Corpse went to her parents' cabin in the woods. And on the way back the next day.

"Is something wrong?" asked Corpse, snapping Sykkuno out of his thoughts.

Yes, everything is wrong, he wanted to answer but he couldn't. He couldn't tell them that he had been hiding something as big as that for months from them.

So instead, he lied. "No, everything's fine. Why?"

"You just looked really emotional or something. And you're usually not like that, so I had to ask."

"Oh no, I'm fine," he lied again. 

They all knew that he was lying, yet it was his birthday and everyone was scared to voice their opinion, in fear that it would somehow ruin the day.

So instead, they all just stayed quiet and continued walking to the cinema.

* * *

After that time in November when Sykkuno was late, he and Corpse walked together every day. Corpse parked his car next to Sykkuno's house every day and they walked. It kept them close, and in Sykkuno's mind, it kept Corpse safe.

"Are you depressed?" asked Corpse out of nowhere.

"What?"

"I know that you heard me, Sykkuno. Are you depressed?" he repeated.

"I know what you said, I heard you the first time. Why would you ask that?" asked Sykkuno out of curiosity. Was it really that obvious? And since he was diagnosed with depression in the other timeline, did that mean that he was also depressed in this one?

"I don't know. You're just sad all the time and I know that it's not because of James or Billie, because I asked them first. So it's either your mom finding out about your sexuality and not accepting you or you being depressed."

"I don't think my mom knows that I'm gay, Corpse. And even if she would, accepting me would come as natural for her."

To tell the truth, Sykkuno wasn't sure that his mom would accept him. But if she accepted him in the other timeline, why wouldn't she accept him in this one?

"That's cool."

"Yeah," said Sykkuno, not knowing what he'd say. After that, an awkward silence came between the two, neither of them knowing what to say.

"So are you?" finally asked Corpse, shattering the silence along with the tension that built up over time.

"Am I gay? Yeah, I am gay."

"That's not what I meant. Are you depressed?" Asked Corpse, genuine concern to be heard in his voice.

"I don't know if I'm depressed or not, Corpse. If you're asking if I'm diagnosed, then the answer is not exactly. And if you're asking if I know why I'm depressed, the answer is I'm not sure. A lot of stuff has happened since the beginning of the year, some stuff that I don't want to talk about, and other stuff that just doesn't concern you..."

"Ouch."

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant-" started Sykkuno but didn't get to finish his sentence.

"I know what you meant. It's fine if you want to keep some things to yourself. Everyone has secrets. But I said this once before, and I'll say it again. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here."

Sykkuno didn't know what to say. 

Could this be the right time to tell him? But even if I do, is he going to believe me? I messed with the past way too much for it to not influence the future, so there's no way of proving my theory... Sykkuno thought internally, yet still didn't amass the courage to tell Corpse. Or his other friends or family, for that matter.

"Can you come over to my place today? Not for a specific occasion or reason or anything, I just want to watch a movie or something..."

"Yeah, sure. I'll text Billie and James, too."

"Could you not call them over? I feel like just the two of us hanging out. Not all of us."

Corpse just nodded, which Sykkuno was extremely grateful for.

Back in the comfort of his room together with Corpse, Sykkuno finally felt more reassured than he did in months.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about, Sykkuno?" asked Corpse. The question had been in his head for the entire day, but he just didn't find the right time to ask it.

"I just want to hang out. I haven't gotten the chance to actually hang out with just you in so long. Not since last year," concluded Sykkuno. What he was saying was true. But it didn't mean that it was the whole truth.

"That's fine. Want to watch something? Listen to some music? Or just talk?"

"I feel like we could watch a movie. The last time I watched an actual movie was on my birthday, which was a while ago. Do you have anything you want to watch?"

"I heard of a few movies while being a counselor at the summer camp. One of the other counselors was a movie geek and gave me a list of films I had to watch before going off to college."

That was the first time Sykkuno had heard of that list, but he was pleasantly surprised when Corpse actually pulled out his cellphone and found the list in his notes. He just went to the first movie that didn't have a big checkmark next to it and searched it up.

Corpse pressed 'Play' while the two of them settled themselves on the bed. "This movie is supposed to be really good, you know?"

"No, really?" said Sykkuno sarcastically and started chuckling. "It's literally on your list of the best films that you must watch before college. How could it be bad?"

"Yeah, I know that, but the boy told me that this is one of the best films out there and that whoever doesn't watch it didn't live life yet. And those who did and didn't like it was never meant to have a life at all."

"That's harsh."

"But fair."

The beginning of the movie appeared on the screen and a piece of light music began playing. That made the two of them go quiet.

The main character laid in bed, which for Sykkuno hit awfully close to home. He never heard of the book the protagonist was reading, but the actor himself seemed oddly familiar. He wasn't big on movies, but there was something about this movie that just seemed intriguing.

"When is this movie from?" asked Sykkuno out of curiosity.

"It was filmed in 2017 but it's settled somewhere in the eighties, I think. I think we just have to wait and see," proposed Corpse, and that was what happened. The movie played on and the two boys just laid there in the bed, not sure if talking would ruin the masterpiece in front of them.

"I think this is a gay movie, Corpse."

"Why's that?"

"All the hints are there," explained Sykkuno. Then he needed the need to elaborate. "The main character first thinks he likes a boy and there's a charming dude that comes and takes over his heart. The ending will be happy, just like every other one."

"Wait and see. You're not a time traveler, and you haven't seen this movie in the past, so you can't know."

However, neither of the boys knew just how wrong they were.

By the time the credits rolled, both boys were in tears.

"I admit, I was wrong. This definitely wasn't a happy ending."

"I want to say I told you so, but the ending made me weep. Literally. Why did it have to end like that? Who allowed this movie to make me so sad?"

Those questions were pointless. There would be no answer that could be provided, and both boys knew it. The movie was the definition of heartbreak. One of the boys experienced it, yet not in his timeline.

Corpse moved dangerously close to Sykkuno and at that moment Sykkuno just gave in to his emotions. It might've been due to his mental vulnerability, but he kissed one of his best friends.

He had expected Corpse to pull away, then scream and be mad at him. Maybe even out him to his mom and make James break up with him, but he didn't. Instead, he too gave in to his emotions and let them lead the way.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Sykkuno's eyes were open wide in shock while Corpse couldn't even open them. Both of them felt the same things. They were both ashamed of their actions but didn't regret it either. They had both enjoyed it.

"What day is it?" asked Sykkuno out of the blue.

"Friday, why?"

"I meant the date. But do you want to sleep here tonight?" asked Sykkuno, then immediately stood up from his bed. There were just too many things that happened on that very same bed, he wouldn't even be amazed if Corpse somehow teleported somewhere and an alien appeared in his place.

Well, he probably would be, but that wasn't exactly the point.

Corpse pulled out his phone and checked the date. "Today is... the 6th of April. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," lied Sykkuno. He didn't really have a choice but it still hurt him to lie to Corpse, just as it hurt him to lie to James and Billie all year long.

"Okay. Also, I'd love to stay over."

Sykkuno couldn't help but hear those words as a flirtatious advance. It was probably just him imagining things, but with what happened just seconds ago, he wasn't so sure.

Because was that just both of them emotionally unstable and seeking comfort or something else?

"Cool. Do you need some clothes, because I can give you some?"

"No, that's fine. I mean, I'll go back home in the morning anyway."

'That soon?' was what Sykkuno had wanted to say, but he didn't. "Okay."

"Want to watch some other movie from that list?" asked Corpse, and to both of them, that seemed like an excellent idea.

"Sure. But we're watching the trailer first this time. There's no way that you'll see me crying because of a movie twice in one day."

"Whatever you say."

Corpse just chose the movie that was right after the last one and played the trailer. It had already convinced me that the movie was good, but I'd have to wait for another two hours and see for real.

"Let's watch it."

And with that, Corpse pressed 'Play' again.

The credits finished rolling and both boys stood up, Sykkuno rubbing in his eyes.

"What did you think of the movie?" asked Corpse as they walked into the kitchen.

"It was a good movie, but there's no way that it could beat the other one. Not a lot of movies can make me cry as that one did..."

"Sure," said Corpse sarcastically, making Sykkuno pout and himself laugh.

"I'm serious. Plus, I saw you cry. And that's definitely a first," said Sykkuno, an almost accusing tone in his voice. Then he opened a cupboard and pulled out some chips. "Want some?"

Corpse nodded and took some from the already-opened packet of chips. "But yeah, that was a good movie. I might even say it was an excellent one."

The boy just laughed at Corpse's words. To Sykkuno, it was strange to see that a straight guy could enjoy a gay film. He was happy that Corpse did enjoy it, but it still appeared strange to him. Because any other boy he knew would just laugh at them or cringe when they kissed. But that also brought him to a question, a question he wasn't yet ready to ask or receive an answer to.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Sykkuno, sensing that eating chips throughout the entire night might not be the best way to spend it. Or healthy, for that matter.

"Maybe we could play console games? You know, like in the good old days," said Corpse, trying to make his proposition seem less childish than it was in reality.

"Sure, that's a cool idea."

"So, any games you want to play?" asked Corpse.

Sykkuno told him a few of his favorites, then stopped when he realized he had made a mistake.

"Isn't that game supposed to come out in, like, three months?" asked Corpse, and he didn't know just how right he was.

"Yeah, I was thinking of some other game and accidentally said that one," tried to explain Sykkuno. It was a lie, of course. He had played that game for hours the day before graduation and on many others along with it.

"I think I just want to play something classic. Like Mario Party 8 or something."

Sykkuno nodded, still in shock as to how he almost gave away everything he was trying to hide since the second first day of senior year. "Mario Party 8 is a classic. Let me just go set that up, while you wait here. The basement is a mess."

"I forgot you had all your video games in the basement. That was the smartest move of the lifetime. Your dad moving them all downstairs."

Sykkuno nodded, then went downstairs to actually get some things ready.

He hid the blue diary that he hid there, knowing that his mom could never find it there, and tried to remove the dust from a few things, which didn't seem to work that well.

Sykkuno held the controller in his hands and sat down on the old couch that had been in there for years that were too many to count.

"Corpse, you can come here now!" he shouted, ready to play some games.

The latter came downstairs and smiled. Sykkuno had made an effective job of cleaning everything in there in a short amount of time. Especially the diary.

Corpse looked around a smile on his face. "I haven't been in here since forever."

Sykkuno nodded awkwardly, not knowing what to say. It was his fault entirely that his friends never visited him again.

"Are you ready for me to beat you?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Sykkuno. I will beat you with one hand."

"Oh, it is on."

"Oh, it is on," mimicked Corpse, then burst out laughing. "We sound like fourth graders that just discovered Fortnite and are preparing for their battle."

"I guess so. Except that Mario Party is way better than any other video game. Except for Just Dance and Animal Crossing. And Sims. Those ones can try to fight any Mario video game and it will be a tie."

"I never got your obsession with old video games, Sykkuno. We were always playing some new game like Geometry Dash and you just stayed on the same games and never got bored of them."

"I guess I did," said Sykkuno, only just then realizing how true the statement really was. He never understood why better effects or graphics 'made' a game better. What was interesting was the game itself, or the storyline like in Zelda.

"I really like that about you," pointed out Corpse, and then started blushing. He was turning into a tomato extremely fast, and he didn't even realize it.

"You're blushing, you know that right?" asked Sykkuno, breaking the little moment they had going on between each other.

"No, I'm just really hot. I'm always hot in your basement."

"The last time you were here, we had to go upstairs because you were freezing. And even now it's not that warm as you say it is."

"Whatever. Let's just play."

They started playing the short version and after about half an hour they were done, Sykkuno an absolute winner.

"Told you I'd win."

"When do you ever lose?" asked Corpse, and some part of Sykkuno heard it as if Corpse was jealous or something. But then, as if Corpse could hear his thoughts, he cleared it up. "It's fine, Sykkuno."

At that exact moment, they were both incredibly close to each other, but neither of them pulled away.

"Do you like me?" asked Sykkuno, hoping that the answer would be affirmative.

"Why would you...?" started the other boy but didn't get to finish his sentence.

Sykkuno kissed Corpse and even though the other boy was in shock, he didn't pull away. On the contrary, when Sykkuno finally stopped for a moment, Corpse kissed him in return.

When they finally stopped after about a minute, neither of them knew what to say. They couldn't exactly call it an accident, could they? They already kissed one before and now they made out for quite a while.

"Do you... Do you regret this?" asked Sykkuno out of the blue, a sad expression on his face.

"Not at all," answered Corpse and kissed Sykkuno again. They already screwed up, so why stop then?


	4. Chapter 4

During the course of the weekend that passed, Corpse and Sykkuno repeated what they started on that Friday on multiple occasions. Sykkuno had also decided to come out to his mom for real this time and to the entire world along with it.

He set an alarm extremely early on Monday the 9th of April. He knew what was approaching, but he was in no way ready to face everything at the same time, so he decided to take things one step at a time.

"Honey, you're awake already," pointed out Sykkuno's mom from behind the newspaper. "Did I wake you up?"

"Oh no, you didn't wake me up. I just have to talk to you about something, if that's alright..."

"Yeah, go ahead. I mean, I can make you a cup of coffee, if you want. But if you don't, then that's fine."

"I'm not in the mood for coffee today, thanks," politely declined Sykkuno but sat down on the other side of the table that used to have four members but now only had two sitting at it.

With his father gone and his sister off to college in Europe, Sykkuno and his mom were all alone. Not that he minded it that much...

"What do you want to talk to me about?" asked Sykkuno's mom, confusion building upon her face.

You found out by yourself in another reality, but I'm here to tell you in this reality, was what he had wanted to say, but it would just make the situation a few times worse.

There was a silence as he reconsidered whether he should actually do it or not. He didn't feel like it could result in anything bad, he knew that it couldn't result in anything bad, but he still didn't exactly have the nerves to do it. But it was his choice to do it this time, and he decided to actually do it.

"I'm gay, mom," he finally managed to say. He decided that he wouldn't cry, as he wasn't the type of person. He didn't want his mom to start seeing him in a different way and crying in front of her certainly wouldn't help at all.

"Oh." was all she said.

And that's when Sykkuno realized that things couldn't always be the same in every single reality. Things would change due to the actions that were made, and those changes influenced a few things.

Sykkuno just prayed that it wouldn't be his mom's point of view on the queer community.

"You don't need to say anything," he quickly said as he stood up from the chair. "It's fine, I'm really not expecting an answer."

He walked back into his bedroom and locked the door behind him.

Shit, I messed up. I messed up really bad. he said to himself. But there's nothing that I can do.

He looked at the clock above his desk and realized that it was time to go to school. He put on some clothes and hurried back downstairs. Sykkuno threw a glance at his mom who was still sitting where he left her, in shock.

And without saying anything, he left.

* * *

Sykkuno didn't speak to his mom at all for the next few days. On Thursday the 12th, he sat in the school's cafeteria, eating his lunch with his friends.

He looked around and saw the faces of those that he loved. Because even though he hated James in some other place and time, he loved him there and then. It wasn't the same type of love he once felt, but it was love.

"I came out to my mom," Sykkuno said out of the blue. He knew that there was no other way to break it to them, so he just said it.

"Oh my god, how'd it go?" asked Billie, her voice full of excitement, as if she knew exactly what my mom said.

"What happened?" asked Corpse, his voice the complete opposite of Billie's. He sounded worried and sad, almost as if he knew what Sykkuno was going to say too.

James didn't say anything, but his face showed that he was all ears about the subject.

"She hasn't said anything all week. I mean, I didn't try to talk to her at all, but I came out to her on Monday morning and we haven't talked since," explained Sykkuno, making some assumptions appear true and other false.

"Oh my god, Sykkuno," said James, going all out on the shriek. Sykkuno wasn't sure whether everything in his voice was genuine or it was all faked. "Are you okay?"

"It's fine and I'm fine. She'll come around sooner or later. She just needs to realize that all assumptions that she has made in the past were wrong. She'll think about all the times a boy has slept over and think whether I slept with them and then she'll finally be back to being my real mom."

Sykkuno's explanation made everyone a bit calmer and he even got a few chuckles from Billie when he talked about the sleepovers.

"I'm so proud of you," ended up saying Billie running around the table and giving him a hug. He returned the hug and smiled.

A boy came by, and something came from his mouth that sounded awfully much as a homophobic slur. Corpse jumped up, but Sykkuno stopped him.

"Yeah, I'm gay. Do you have a problem with that?"

The boy stood there, dumbfounded. Sykkuno thought that he would drop his plate and start shaking right there and then.

Billie ended up laughing and shooed him away. "Guys, I have a special announcement to make. I am getting a buzz cut next weekend."

"Oh my god, are you for real?" asked Corpse, and started laughing. He had obviously thought that the girl was joking.

"Yeah, I am for real. Why would I be joking about that?"

"Don't bother with him, Billie. You'll look great in that," he reassured her, and to Billie, it seemed as if he knew what she would look like with it.

She had no idea just how right she was at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo, one more chapter y'all


	5. Chapter 5

"Sykkuno, I need to talk to you," said James a day later.

Sykkuno smiled and agreed to talk to him. "Do you want to come over?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Sykkuno sat in James's car. James took off and minutes later they arrived in Sykkuno's driveway. 

He unlocked the door and walked inside. His boyfriend followed him and they immediately went to Sykkuno's bedroom.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" asked Sykkuno, a shy smile on his face.

"I didn't know whether to tell you this or not, but I decided to tell you. You're going to hate me because of this."

"What?" asked Sykkuno. He didn't understand. James was supposed to cheat on him on the evening of Friday the 13th of April 2019. And it wasn't evening yet and James had something to tell him.

"I cheated on you, Sykkuno."

James's admission of guilt made it all so much more complicated.

Sykkuno had a year to keep James from cheating and he couldn't even do it. Yes, he was often absent and it took him a while to forgive James, but something was definitely off.

"You what?! What... Why would you do that, James?" spat Sykkuno, anger that was building up in him ever since James admitted starting to go out. 

"You've just been so absent since the beginning of the year, and I needed it."

"So it's my fault?" asked Sykkuno accusingly. He couldn't believe his eyes and ears. "You're saying that you cheated and you're blaming me for it?"

"That's not what I'm doing. I just wanted to explain myself."

"There's no explanation for what you did, James. You freaking cheated on me." Again, he wanted to say but didn't say it. "Can you please get the hell out of my house?"

"No, please don't do this."

"Please don't do what? Tell you to leave my house after you cheated on me? Just leave, James. I don't want to see you right now, let alone have you in my room."

"I'm sorry, Sykkuno. I wasn't thinking and I'm regretting it. I could've not said anything, but I thought that if I said it we could move on from it. Together." James just tried everything to make his situation seem better than it was, but it wasn't exactly working.

"Just leave."

James seemed to listen to Sykkuno's instructions, so he just left the bedroom and the house along with it without saying goodbye.

This isn't right. It isn't right... It can't be right. He told me that he cheated on me on Friday the 13th.

And then something hit him. He wanted to puke more than anything at that precise moment. His theory was nasty, but he couldn't put it beyond James.

That son of a... James cheated on me a few times before the 13th and just told me on that day.

He pulled out his phone and dialed one of the most recent numbers on his call list.

"Corpse, can you please come here?" asked Sykkuno, his voice crushed and pleading.

The boy hurried into the house not long after. "Sykkuno? Where are you?"

The boy ran up the stairs and walked into Sykkuno's bedroom. Sykkuno wasn't there, and there was just one place left where he could be. He hurried downstairs and into the basement.

He saw the boy sitting on the old couch, his hands clenched around his knees where his head was buried. There were muffled sobs escaping his mouth.

"Sykkuno? What's wrong?" asked Corpse and walked to the couch and put an arm around the other boy. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"James cheated on me. More than once."

"What? Are you sure?" asked Corpse. He knew that his best friend couldn't cheat on his boyfriend that he loved and adored on a whole other level. "That doesn't."

"That doesn't sound like James? Is that what you wanted to say?" Corpse nodded. Sykkuno knew exactly what the other boy was about to say. "Well, he did. And not just once. Multiple times."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say," admitted Corpse, a serious expression on his face. "I never knew that James could do something like that to anyone, let alone you. And I can't imagine how you feel right now."

"It's fine. I just needed you to come over. I just couldn't imagine that James could cheat on me and you were one of the only two people I could tell. I'm still not exactly on talking terms with my mom and she does her best to avoid the house. And Billie is on a date."

"Really? I didn't know that. I want to tell you something, Sykkuno."

"What is it? Please don't tell me that you cheated on me too," joked Sykkuno, and tears stopped coming out his eyes, which was a sight for any sore eye.

"I wouldn't treat you like that if we were together," blurted out Corpse which made Sykkuno close his eyes in shock. "What I mean to say is that I like you and I'd love to go out with you."

"Corpse..." started Sykkuno but didn't finish his sentence. It was pointless. Sykkuno knew that he felt the same way and that he would be a lot happier with Corpse than he ever was with James, even at the absolute start.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime, Sykkuno?" asked Corpse.

The use of his full name made Sykkuno remember James's admission of guilt, but he pushed it away. Even if he was sad, he somehow knew that it would happen and was prepared for it. He already got over the heartbreak once, and it probably wouldn't be as hard to get over the same person again.

"Yes. I'd love to go out with you, Corpse," said Sykkuno, making Corpse go ahead and kiss him.

"Thank god. I was so scared of you saying no. I literally wanted to run away or just let the ground swallow me."

"Well, I said yes, and that's what matters. But I want to tell you that it could take a while for me to get over James completely. We've been together for two years and I want to move on properly and not let it haunt me later on in life."

"I understand that completely," said Corpse, a calm smile on his face.

"Thanks."

The two of them sat there together for a while in complete silence. The silence was extremely calming to the two, even if they had so many things to say to each other.

"I actually have an idea."

"Shoot."

"Today is Friday the 13th and one of the horror movies that are on the list of the films that I have to see before going off to college is having a rerun at the local cinema. Can I take you to our first date tonight?"

"To a scary movie?"

"Yeah, why not? It might be fun," said Corpse, a huge smile on his face.

"Okay."

"Okay?" asked Corpse, as if he needed another answer to be reassured that what was going on was real.

"Okay. Let's go watch a scary movie."

Corpse left the house to let both of them get ready and an ecstatic feeling traveled throughout Sykkuno's entire body. It was never like that with James. Something about Corpse just seemed a lot different. So much better...

"Oh my god, what am I going to wear?" said Sykkuno himself loudly. He laughed at himself, feeling like a sixth-grade girl getting ready for her first date. And at that moment, he was far from that.

He ran upstairs, looking throughout his entire closet, and didn't find anything except for some pants that he genuinely liked. And that's when an idea shot through his head. It wasn't the best idea he got in his life, but he had a feeling that it could work.

Sykkuno opened up some of the boxes in the basement. His mom was never strong enough to actually get rid of his late father's old clothes, most of which could fit Sykkuno.

The boxes made everything seem so real and all of the memories were coming back to him. It seemed strange that something as simple as that could make him feel so many emotions.

He picked a few of his favorites and tried each one of them together with the pants.

When he finally got through all five of his favorites, he didn't feel like he could choose which one he felt like wearing the most. They all seemed extremely nice and appropriate to wear on his first date, but Sykkuno wasn't exactly the most stylish person that walked the Earth. 

He knew exactly what he needed to do, but before that, he opened a few other boxes, the contents unlocking some memories that he didn't know he had.

There was that one time at the beach when he and his dad built sandcastles with the plastic bucket that Sykkuno now held in his hands. It was scratched at the bottom, yet not destroyed.

There were all those family pictures that Sykkuno's mom couldn't look at anymore. They were just too much for her to handle, and he understood that. In some part of his mind, he felt the same way, yet wanted to keep the memory of his dad alive.

He packed some of the boxes back up and smiled at himself in the mirror. He dressed up in each one of the shirts once again and took a picture every time. He tried sending a message to Billie but he wasn't getting any reception in the basement.

Sykkuno walked back upstairs and sent the pictures to Billie, asking her which one he should wear to the date. He didn't explain what he needed them for but said it was a special occasion.

Right after the last picture was delivered, his phone started ringing. It was Corpse calling.

"Hey, Corpse! Are you already here?"

"This isn't Corpse. This is Roman Morrison. You were the last person that 'Corpse' dialed. I'm really sorry, but he got in a car accident on the intersection of 6th and 54th and it seems."

Sykkuno just hung up in shock.

No, this isn't happening.

Sykkuno opened the garage door and got his old bike from it. He didn't bother closing the door behind him, he just moved the bike's pedals as fast as he could.

He couldn't believe his own ignorance and stupidity. Had he forgotten what day it was? Had he forgotten what he promised himself on the first day of school?

Sykkuno tried pushing the invasive thoughts away but failed to.

When he finally arrived at the intersection, he got off his bike and let it crash on the ground.

There were an ambulance and a police car. People that walked by were watching from the sides.

Sykkuno ran to one of the police officers. "Where is he? Where's Corpse?"

"Sir, please calm down. What are you talking about?" asked the police officer completely relaxed. At that moment, Sykkuno had no time to stall, but if he had, he would start screaming at the officer of the law, no matter the consequences.

"Corpse. He's the boy that was driving the black car. I was called by someone who recovered his phone. I was the last person he called so they decided to call me. They said they were someone called Morrison. I don't remember their first name..."

"That must be Officer Morrison. He's right there, you can go talk to him if you want."

Sykkuno nodded and muttered something that resembled a thank you as he ran to the other officer.

"Mr. Morrison? Officer Morrison, I mean. You talked to me on the phone. I'm Sykkuno."

"Yeah," said the officer with a heavy voice. What he was about to do was his expertise, yet it never got easy for him. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your friend passed away."

Sykkuno forgot where he was and what he was doing. There was no way that was happening.

He's never going to graduate. He didn't get to finish the list of films that he had to before college.

We won't be able to go out for real.

"This isn't happening. This is fake."

"You're in denial. I'm sorry, but your friend is gone."

And with that, Sykkuno realized that some things were meant to be and couldn't be changed, no matter how hard he tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this is the end?
> 
> feel free to scream at me because why not and i know that you guys hate me right now butttt (i have no defense please just pretend i do)
> 
> also comments are very very appreciated just like kudos


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